MLB Player News

Turner went 2-for-4 with a solo home run in a 3-1 loss to the Rockies on Friday.

Turner homered for the second consecutive game and for the third time over his last six contests. The third baseman's power was understandably sapped following his initial return from a wrist injury, but the recent uptick in long balls is a great sign that Turner can begin performing like his former All-Star self.

Reed started at first base Friday in place of Yulieski Gurriel (personal) and went 0-for-3 in a 3-2 loss to the Rays.

Reed made no impact as a hitter, but he was involved in a game-deciding sequence in the field. He was unable to scoop a low throw that paved the way for two unearned runs to score. Reed made his first start since being called up from Triple-A Fresno on Thursday, when Gurriel left the team on paternity leave. Gurriel is expected to return no later than Sunday.

The White Sox will consider promoting Jimenez to the majors this season if he forces their hand, according to director of player development Chris Getz, Max Gelman of MiLB.com reports.

While it's easy to turn this story into an attention-grabbing headline, there's not a lot of substance here, as there are plenty of qualifiers and no guarantees. It's not clear exactly what level of performance would force the team's hand, and even then, Getz only says they would consider promoting their top prospect. There is much more to be gained by keeping Jimenez down until mid-April 2019 than to promote him this summer in a non-competitive season. Jimenez, who was already promoted to Triple-A Charlotte on June 21, is hitting .250/.351/.438 with two home runs and a 5:4 K:BB in 37 plate appearances at the highest level of the minor leagues.

Ohtani (elbow) took batting practice on the field again Friday and said afterward that he "felt great," Jeff Miller of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Friday's batting practice session marked Ohtani's second in as many days, and he could progress to taking live batting practice as soon as this weekend. The Angels have made it clear that they plan to have Ohtani return as a hitter this season, and given how well he's responded so far to his hitting program, a return as the DH before the All-Star break or shortly thereafter seems entirely possible. As far as pitching goes, Ohtani was recently treated with a PRP injection in his pitching elbow and the team will follow up in three weeks or so to determine if a return to the mound is realistic for this season.

Rooker went 2-for-4 with two home runs Thursday for Double-A Chattanooga. He's hitting .265/318/.495 with 13 home runs in 71 games.

Rooker continues to display impressive power but he still has a problematic 28.5 percent strikeout rate and a walk rate that has declined to seven percent at Double-A. His age (23) also would appear to cap the upside of the 2017 1st-round draft pick. Despite those flaws, he continues to produce at each level.

McCutchen went 2-for-4 with a walk, a double, an RBI and a run scored in Thursday's loss to the Rockies.

McCutchen has turned things around in the month of June, slashing .300/.342/.540 with five homers, 16 RBI, 17 runs and a pair of steals over 108 plate appearances. The 31-year-old should continue to provide solid contributions across the five main offensive fantasy categories while batting in the heart of the Giants' order.

Turner went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in Thursday's 11-5 loss to the Cubs.

Turner's fourth homer of the season came in the bottom of the ninth inning of a blowout loss. While the long ball didn't change the Dodgers' fortunes, it certainly helped the 33-year-old's fantasy owners. Turner has looked like his pre-injury self over the last five games, going 6-for-15 with three walks and two homers over that span.

Winker went 2-for-3 with a two-run home run Thursday against the Brewers.

Winker's recent power surge continued Thursday, as he drove a Junior Guerra offering out to the opposite field for his sixth home run. Not known for his power, Winker now has three home runs in his past 21 at-bats. However, he is still slugging just .396 for the season with 16 extra-base hits in 266 plate appearances.

Belt went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run in Thursday's 9-8 loss to Colorado.

Belt hit his first long ball since June 17 and he's been in a big slump since his brief DL stint earlier this month. The 30-year-old first baseman is hitting just .239 in June, lowering his season slash line to .295/.385/.523. Still, all three of those marks would be career highs for Belt, and it looks like he should top his career-high 18 home runs as well.

Ohtani (elbow) was cleared to begin a hitting program and will be re-evaluated in three weeks, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

General manager Billy Eppler said that Ohtani's MRI revealed improvement and indicated healing in his ligament. This will allow Ohtani to start batting practice immediately, though Eppler was noncommittal when discussing his pitching prospects. The GM added that Ohtani's check-up with doctors in three weeks will give the team a better idea of whether he'll be able to pitch again this year. Looking ahead, Ohtani is not expected to appear in any minor-league rehab contests, rather, he will resume hitting in simulated games and could face live pitching as soon as this weekend if all goes according to plan, per Jeff Fletcher of the Southern California News Group. Additionally, Eppler made it known that none of the doctors he spoke with said Ohtani would require a surgical procedure at this time. Though that's obviously a positive sign, there's a long way to go before the right-hander is out of the woods.